His Senfe and

that are to

come

And again, That he knew not what to make of Providence, but by looking upon this World as a fort of Bedlam. Which minds me of a Story I have heard of One enquiring the way to Bedlam: To which the Other reply'd; If you mean Great Bedlam, you are now in it; but if you mean Little Bedlam, that is the way to it.

Amongst us, he faid another time, we made up the Scene: Meaning the confus'd medley of Men, and of Affairs on this

Earth. He himself, he faid, was unus è mul-
tis, one of the vaft Numbers that are con-
cerned in it; and that was
to act his
Part among the reft. And again, That
the untoward Genius of Men, defeating the
various and wife Methods us'd to reform them,
Puzzled Providence. He meant that Part
of it which is managed by the Miniftring
Spirits.

ALL which Things made him still to Hope of the Better Times look but fo much the more Earneftly after thofe Better Times that are expected to come. For the Clearing up of which, both as to the Defcription and Demonftra tion of them, the Doctor, as for many Other things, is likewife fingularly Eminent. But I can only give you fome few brief Touches upon this Great Head of Difcourfe here.

Myft. of Godl.

B. 5. Ch. 14.

"Thus (faith he) hath it pleas'd that ever watchful Eye of Providence to con"nive, as it were, a while at this Pagan "Chriftianifm, as well as he did in former Ages at the Antient Paganism. But affu

66

«redly

(ડ

66

redly it will be better; and All the glorious Predictions of the Prophets concerning Chrift, even in this World, will

not end in fo Tedious a Scene, where "there is fo little Good, and fuch a Flood of Filth and Evil.

"But the Spirit of the Lord will blow "upon thefe dry Bones, and actuate this "External Form of Religion with Life and "Power; and the Scales will fall off from "her Eyes, and that Load of Scurf and asci"titious Foulness will fall from her Skin, " and her Flefh fhall be as of a tender Child, "and fhe fhall grow strong, healthful, and "irreprehenfibly lovely to look upon. "When these things come to pass, the Di"vine Life will be in her Highest Triumph,

or Exultation upon Earth. And this Ex"cellent State of the Church will continue "for a veryConfiderable time. But theWick"ed fhall again affault the Juft; andChrift vi"fibly returning to Judgment fhall decide "the Controversy.

In the next Paragraph he breaks out into a very High and no lefs Juft Encomium upon that Great Writer, and (as he well call'd him) incomparable Interpreter of Propheftes, Mr. Jofeph Mede; and then proceeds thus: "Upon "whofe account I am not afham'd to pro"fefs, that I think it Clear, both out of Da"niel and the Apocalypfe, that the Scene of "things in Chriftendom will be in due time "very much changed; and that for the "better.

Pref. to Myft. of Godl.

And if any Perfon defires more particularly to know the Grounds of this fo Glorious Hope and Belief, he may meet at large with them, as in the Doctor's Expofitions, fo in the Laft more especially of the Divine Dialogues, where he purposely treats of this Matter. But that no one may miftake it or have any Fabulous and Chiliaftick Dreams or Affrights concerning it; I fhall go on to give a Glance at the Chief State and Happiness of the Times we fpeak of, from fome farther Paffages in his Wri tings.

But the true Happiness of thofe Days "is not to be meafur'd by Formalities or "Opinions; but by a more corroborated "Faith in Chrift and his Promifes, by De"votion unfeign'd, by Purity of Heart, "and Innocency of Life, by Faithfulness, "by Common Charity, by Comfortable "Provisions for the Poor, by Chearful O"bedience to our Superiors, and abun"dance of Kindness and difcreet Condef"cenfions One to another, by unfpotted "Righteousness, and an unfhaken Peace, "by the removal of every unjuft Yoke, "by mutual Forbearance, and bearing up "One another as living Stones of that "Temple, where there is not to be heard "the Noife of either Ax or Hammer, no "Squable or Clamour about Forms or O"pinions, but a peaceable Study and Endeavour of provoking One another to Love and good Works.

The

The Tempers, and the Judgments of Men will be fo well amended by that time, as to have no Feuds, or unchristian Contentions about these things; but they will more peaceably fettle upon all that is either Neceffary or Expedient in the Church. And we are to take withal into this Defcription, how vaftly the Church will be enlarg'd then over the Nations of the Earth beyond what it is at present: When the Mountain of the Lord's House Shall in thefe laft Days (after the fulleft manner) be establish'd in the Top of the Mountains, and fhall be exalted above the Hills (or, above all the Governments and Principalities of the World, leffer and greater) and all Nations fhall flow unto it.

Ifa. 2. 2.

"Contentions (faith he) about Opinions Myft of Godl "fhall then ceafe; they being priz'd only B. 10. Ch.9. "by the Pride and Curiofity of the Natu

ct

ral Man: And all the goodly Inventi

ons of nice Theologers fhall then cease: "And all the foolish and perplexing Artr guments of the Difputatious Schools "hall be laid afide; and the Gospel alone "fhall be exalted in that Day. And yet it will be accompanied with the greatest, and trueft Knowledge, and that of all Sorts, that this Life is capable of.

And this may fuffice (and alone fuffice) for the Notion of the Millennium; and we may fee by it what a Bugbear we are afraid of.

His Candour towards the

more Confci

entious In

fidels.

I THINK, I fhall now do well to Obferve his Candour, the mean while, towards those that are yet out of the Church: And how that Our high Appretiation and Value of the Gospel is not (as he fpeaks) beft express'd by a mere vilifying and reproaching all Other Religions; in damning the very Best and most Confcientious Turks, Jews, and Myft. of Godl. B, 10. Ch. 1. Pagans to the Pit of Hell; and then to doublelock the Door upon them, or to stand there to watch with long Poles, to beat them down again, if any of them should offer to Emerge, and Endeavour to crawl out. He thought it fufficient to fay, "That None fhall be fav'd but by "Vertue of that Truth which is Compre"hended in the Gospel; that is, before "they come under that One Head of the "Church, which is Chrift Fefus; there being no other Name under Heaven given'

Aas 4. 12.

3

among Men, whereby they must be faved, as "the Apostle hath declar'd. But how the "Confcientious Jews, Pagans, and Turks, "that feem'd not to die Chriftians, may "be gather'd to this Head, it will be a becoming Piece of Modefty in us to pro"fefs our Ignorance. And he adds afterwards; That we are rather to admit and commend what is Laudable and Praife-worthy in any of them; According to what he fpeaks, Dial. 1. n. 2. "Wherefore thofe

that are the trueft Lovers of God, muft be friendly and lovingly difpos'd to"wards all his Appearances; and bid a kind welcome to the First Dawnings of that Diviner Light.

FOR